CHAPTER XLII.
HOMEWARD BOUND.
ON the vigil of St. Mark, after Easter, the Crusaders having mustered atAcre, flocked on board their ships and prepared to set sail for Europe.On that day also the King of France, leaving Geoffrey de Segrines with ahundred knights to aid in the defence of what remained of the once grandkingdom of Godfrey and the Baldwins, left the palace which he hadoccupied, and, attended by the papal legate, the Patriarch of Jerusalem,and the Christian nobles and knights of Palestine, walked on foot to theport, amid an immense crowd assembled to witness his departure, who all,while lamenting his departure, applauded him as the Father of theChristians, and implored Heaven to shower blessings on his head.
'This is the day of St. Mark, seneschal,' said Louis to Joinville, asthey went on board; 'and on St. Mark's-day was I born at Poissy.'
'Sire,' replied Joinville, 'you may well say that you have been bornagain on St. Mark's-day; for you are escaping from a pestilent land,where you have remained so long.'
Bisset, the English knight, resolute to his purpose, had taken farewellof his companions, and embarked for Constantinople, to wield hisponderous battle-axe in the cause of Baldwin de Courtenay, whose empirewas falling to ruins. But Walter Espec and Guy Muschamp were on boardthe king's vessel, through the influence of the Lord of Joinville; andthere also was Beltran the renegade, who, touched with remorse, hadabandoned his wealth in Egypt, and was doing penance by labouring as aseaman.
At length the fleet weighed anchor and set sail, with every prospect ofa prosperous voyage. But, ere long, a somewhat alarming accidentoccurred. On Saturday, as the French approached Cyprus, about vespers,the vessels were suddenly enveloped in a thick fog, and the ship inwhich were the king and queen struck on a sandbank, and was so damagedthat Louis was recommended to leave it without loss of time.
'Sire,' said the skipper, 'if you will believe me, you must remove fromthis ship to another. We well know that, since the keel has suffered somuch damage, all the ribs must be started, and should there be a highwind, we fear she will be unable to bear the sea without sinking.'
'Now,' said the king, 'I put it to you on your faith and loyalty, totell me truly, if the ship were your own, and full of merchandise, wouldyou quit it?'
'No!' said the skipper; 'for we would rather risk our lives than lose avessel worth forty or fifty thousand livres.'
'Why, then, do you advise me to quit it?' asked the king.
'Oh, sire,' answered the skipper, 'we are different sort of beings; forthere is no sum, however great, that could compensate for the loss ofyourself and the queen and your children; and we cannot advise you torun such a risk.'
'Ah,' replied the king, 'now that you have answered, I will tell youwhat I think of the matter. Suppose I quit this vessel, there are fivehundred persons on board, who will remain in Cyprus for fear of thedanger that may befall them should they stay on board. Now,' continuedLouis, 'there is not one among them who is attached to his own personmore than I am myself; and, if we land, they will lose all hope ofreturning to their own country. Therefore, I declare I will ratherexpose myself, the queen, and my children to some danger, under theprovidence of God, than make such numbers of people suffer as are nowwith me.'
The example which Louis set inspired the companions of his voyage withcourage; and the fleet having resumed its course, encountered, butsurvived, a violent storm, took in water at Cyprus, and soon after camein sight of Lampedosa, an island which was then uninhabited. And here astrange incident occurred.
It happened that King Louis and his company, including Walter Espec andGuy Muschamp, landed, and, while climbing among the rocks, discovered ahermitage, with a handsome garden, planted with olives, figs, vines, andmany other fruit trees, and watered by a beautiful spring. On going tothe upper end of the garden, the king and his company found an oratory,the roof of which was painted white, with a red cross in the centre,and, in a chamber more retired, two bodies laid toward the East, withtheir hands on their breasts. Soon after the king and his company,conversing about what they had seen, returned on board their ship, andthe skipper was about to weigh anchor, when it was discovered that oneof the warriors who had gone ashore was missing; and this caused muchexcitement.
'I think I can account for this,' said the skipper. 'One of the sailorswas desirous of turning hermit, and I doubt not he has seized so fair anopportunity.'
Walter Espec and Guy Muschamp exchanged glances. It was Beltran therenegade, who had thus devoted himself to solitude.
'Well,' said the king, on hearing this, 'let three sacks of biscuit beleft on the shore; the man may find them, and, if so, they will servefor sustenance.'
Soon after this an accident happened to one of the squires on board theship of one of the barons of Provence, which, at the time, was abouthalf a league from that of the king. One morning, finding, as he lay inbed, that the sea dashed into his eyes and much annoyed him, he orderedthe squire to stop it up. Having in vain attempted to do so from theinside, the squire went outside, and was endeavouring to stop the hole,when his foot dipped and he fell into the sea. The ship kept on her waywithout the mariners being aware of what had happened, and as thesquire did not attempt to move, those on board the king's ship thoughtsome piece of furniture had tumbled overboard. On coming nearer,however, they perceived that it was a human being, and Walter and Guy,with some mariners, lowered a boat, rowed to the rescue, and succeededin saving him.
On being brought on board the king's ship, the squire related how he metwith the accident, and was asked why he did not endeavour to savehimself by swimming.
'In faith,' answered the squire, 'I had no occasion so to do; for, as Ifell into the sea, I cried, "Our Lady of Valbert!" and she supported meby the shoulders till I was rescued.'
'In good sooth,' remarked the Lord of Joinville, on hearing this, 'it istruly marvellous; and, to perpetuate the memory of this miracle, I vowto have it painted on the windows of my chapel at Joinville, and also onthe windows of the church at Blecourt;' and, on reaching home, the nobleseneschal kept his word.
And now the ships tilted over the waters; and, after a voyage of tenweeks, they reached the Port of Hieros, in front of a castle which, inright of his spouse, belonged to the king's brother, the Count of Anjou.Louis, however, was not inclined to land. In vain the queen and hiscouncil advised him to disembark.
'No,' said he, 'I will not land till I can do so on my own territory; Iwill not disembark till I arrive at Aigues Mortes.'
Everybody looked extremely disappointed.
'Seneschal,' said Louis, turning to Joinville, 'what is your opinion?'
'Sire,' replied Joinville, 'it seems to me that you ought to land; forMadame de Bourbon, being once in this very port, put again to sea toland at Aigues Mortes, and she was tossed about for seven long weeksbefore she could make that harbour.'
'Seneschal,' said the king, 'you have persuaded me.' And soon after, tothe joy of the queen and all on board, Louis landed at Hieros, and withMargaret and his children took up his residence in the castle, to restfrom his fatigues ere setting out for his own dominions. Indeed, thesaint-king was so weak, that Joinville had to carry him in his arms; andfor some time he could hardly support the weight of his armour, orremain on horseback.
But Louis had yet many years of life before him; and after repairing fora time to recruit his health at Montpellier, where then, as in afterages, the medical science eminently flourished, he in the autumn arrivedat Vincennes, and after prostrating himself before the altar of St.Denis and restoring the oriflamme to the abbot, he proceeded to Paris,where he was received with profound respect. But the saint-king bore onhis brow traces of the sorrow caused by the multiplied disasters of hisexpedition, and still wore the symbol of salvation on his shoulder, asif to intimate that he was not yet done with the Holy Land.